Shot Through The Heart
by LilyGhost
Summary: Stephanie takes a unique approach to celebrating Valentine's Day. A Ranger POV story.


**What Stephanie wrapped up for Ranger, I saw online and thought needed to be featured in a Babe Valentine's Day story. The gift Ranger got for Steph can also be bought online. Everyone familiar belongs to Janet. The mistakes are solely mine.**

Stephanie having a fob/key set to get to me or my apartment anytime she wants to, means I technically don't need a call from the control room telling me she had pulled into the garage, but a prompt call from Vince I did receive. Since she and I have plans for tonight, I needed a head's up even less. I had that thought while standing in my kitchen putting the cap back on the bottle of water I'd just taken out of the fridge, so when she walked into the room I was surprised with what she was wearing for our Valentine's Day date.

"I thought we had dinner plans?" I said to her, once I managed to pry my lips and hands off of her.

It's been less than an hour since I was kissing her a temporary goodbye, but my body can't seem to tell time where she's concerned.

"We do."

"But you're still in your Rangeman uniform. I did give you the option of cutting your workday short if you needed time to get ready so you wouldn't have to rush."

She smiled. "Which was really nice of you."

"But you didn't take me up on it?" I asked, feeling an unfamiliar sense of confusion.

"I did shoot home to get your gift."

"That was it?"

"And to give Rex extra food, since it's unlikely I'll be home tonight. Don't look at me that like," she ordered. "I'm not crazy. There's a reason I'm still dressed like this." She held out her hand - and the present it's holding - to me. "If you open this, it'll explain everything."

I took what she offered and peeled off the red hearts on black background-wrapping paper. I was even more confused. A box of bullets was sitting beside a smaller gift box wrapped in the opposite colors, black hearts covering red wrapping paper.

"You're giving me ammo?" I asked her.

"Yep ... along with something else. You can unwrap the other box."

I did as she suggested and read what was etched into the silver keychain that had been nestled inside the smaller box ... _'Roses are red. Violets are blue. Here is some ammo ... let's go pew, pew, pew.'_

That got a genuine smile out of me, but she spoke before I could comment on what she chose to buy for a 'romantic' Valentine's Day gift. I had gone the more traditional route. In my safe for after dinner, is a platinum pendant shaped like a calendar page. One specific day of the necklace's month is reserved with a diamond, but only I, Tank, and my parents, are privy to why I picked this gift and highlighted that day. I'd decided on New Year's for it to be the one when I officially ask Stephanie to marry me ... _if _she doesn't kill me first for keeping what's going to happen on that date a secret until we reach it.

"The major part of this present is I'm granting you your wish," she told me. "I'm signing myself up for daily shooting lessons ... but only if you agree to be my personal instructor."

I suddenly couldn't think of a more perfect gift. Teaching her how to defend herself, while getting to spend one-on-one alone-time with her, as my arms stay around her for the majority of my 'instructing', has all kinds of romantic possibilities flashing through my mind in vivid and naked detail.

"If I didn't already know that you were meant to be mine," I said to her, "this gift would have single-handedly convinced me."

"The ammo? Or me wanting sniper skills? You don't eat chocolate ... or anything sweet at all. You rarely drink champagne. And you already have _everything _you want or need ... and a better quality of it than I could ever afford. But even I can see how happy you are when you get to shoot something. You get even more excited when I'm doing the shooting. I swear the keychain had a spotlight shining down on it as it shouted '_Buy me for Ranger!_' as soon as my eyes landed on it."

"Good thing they didn't know it can self-illuminate or speak, or they would've upped the price substantially. To answer your question, I have an entire room off the gun range fully-stocked with whatever ammo I need for whichever weapon I'm carrying, so it would be _your agreement _to better your shot, which will make me worry less, that I'm loving more than having extra bullets on hand."

"Maybe I'll be making you worry _more _if I'm actually able to hit what I'm aiming at," she said with a smile.

"If you shoot at someone, it's deserved. And I have a team of lawyers who can and _will _prove that any and every time."

"So this means you don't mind starting our lessons before - or instead of - a fancy dinner? We could order pizza afterwards and save your credit card the workout you likely planned on giving it. Unless there's reservations we can't get out of. My dress and shoes are in my car, I'll just need a few minutes to get them and then get myself into them ..."

"It's fine, Steph. This day and night is about us, not dinner. If I'm being honest, I would take this date you're offering over any other one." I studied her for a beat. Something in her body language had my guard up. "Did something happen to make an interest in how to handle your weapon a sudden priority?" I asked, sliding my hand along the nape of her neck and lifting her chin up with my thumb so she wouldn't try to lie to me.

"No ... yes. _No_. Not really."

"Did you have trouble with a skip?"

"No. I captured Colin with no muss, no fuss and more importantly ... no rolls in garbage."

"_But?_" I pressed, knowing there is one.

"But the way I caught him looking at me when he thought I or Cal weren't paying attention to him, made me extremely uncomfortable ... like the takedown may have been more problematic if I hadn't had Cal there threatening to remove the a-hole's body parts if he didn't listen quicker and move faster."

I kept her body tucked into me, but dug out my cell. "Make sure Vinnie doesn't bond out Harold Colin," I told Vince. "If someone else does, Colin is to get a tail and then a bullet if he comes anywhere near Stephanie."

"Yes, Sir."

"I want updates on anything having to do with him or anyone he knows."

"I'm on it."

"You did the right thing," I told Stephanie. "If making me feel good is your goal for this holiday, I want to pick up Rex and have you pack a bag when we're finished our target practice. I need you here where I can protect you and not at your apartment where he could get to you."

"Way to use a holiday you claim was created for the sole purpose of making money, not celebrating love, to your advantage."

"I told you that I'm an opportunist. I wasn't lying ... I was actually warning you."

"No kidding. I learned that one early on. Maybe this Colin-thing is nothing, but I was creeped out enough to want to be able to protect myself if I don't have backup or was caught alone, so you could say something good came out of an uncomfortable situation. You ready?"

"I've been ready for _this _for _years_," I replied, pulling her even closer.

"We're still talking about shooting lessons, _right_?"

"Yes ... and no."

I grinned at her reddening face and I bent my head to fit my lips lightly to hers. I had to keep the kiss quick or I'll be kicking my own ass tomorrow for getting distracted making love to her body instead of teaching her how to protect it.

She curled her arms around my neck and went up on tiptoes to be even with my eyes and my mouth. "Maybe we should start the lessons _tomorrow _instead. Another _need _is suddenly overtaking the one I had to shoot someone."

"That is _really _nice to hear, but I don't want to waste your cooperation on this particular subject. We do have the rest of the night to fill."

She grinned mischievously at me. "I know what I want to fill it with."

That sparked a wolf-grin, but I remained strong. "Behave yourself, Babe."

She put her boots flat on the floor again. "Fine, but I _will _remind you that you said that later. I may listen _then _too," she teased, walking away with an extra sway to her hips.

As always, I was right on her heels. She had me stopping in my tracks not long after we walked into the gun range and I got the appropriate weapons loaded with the ammo she had just given me. I gestured for her to go ahead of me to whichever lane she wanted to use. She picked the very first one in the line of them. A beat later, I discovered why.

I saw the full measure of her dedication to achieving her goal and her commitment to me. Clearly, she had made a quick stop before coming upstairs, and she had acquired some help from Louis to install and hide this other gift for me. Attached to the wall beside 'our lane' is a black granite plaque that had '_This Is Stephanie and Ranger's Official Shooting Lane._ _Use Caution When Approaching _... _Sparks, As Well As Bullets, May Fly At Anytime_' carved into it.

"You've publicly staked a claim here in the only part of this building, after the gym, that you swore you'd never spend any time in?" I asked her.

"Yup. Happy Valentine's Day. You've got yourself a girlfriend who is - at least for the moment - moving in with you, and one who's ten minutes away from being able to shoot as well as your men."

"_Ten minutes?_" I repeated.

"If you're as good as you claim, that's not unreasonable is it?"

"It's not if you pay close attention and do exactly what I say."

She looked suspicious, which she _should _having spent private time with me.

I let her step up to the plate and pressed my front tightly to her back, allowing the sparks to start flying like our plaque forewarned.

"See ... I knew what I was doing when I requested your personal assistance," she said, as I lowered my head and began kissing the spot where her neck and shoulder meet.

"You need plenty of time and _extremely-close_ supervision when perfecting a skill," I told her.

"_Uh-huh_."

"It's true. You'll remember exactly how it feels when I kiss you like this when I stop, won't you?" I said, taking my mouth off her skin only long enough to flick the sensitive spot below her ear with my tongue.

"Oh ... _yeeeah_," she breathed out. "You know, you don't really have to stop if you don't want to."

I hid my pleased expression in her shoulder, relishing how responsive she is to me.

"So in theory," I continued, "anything I tell you right now while I'm also actively seducing you, you should remember."

"Or more likely ... I'll shoot myself in the foot if you keep doing _that_."

I put my tongue away and grinned again. "I'll protect your feet and everything above them. Hold your gun in your hands like this, and your arms out in front of you this way," I instructed, wrapping my own arms around her to put her in the proper position for a successful session. "Keep your eyes where you want your bullet to go ... and pull the trigger."

She set her sights on her mark and almost laughed out loud in disbelief when she came pretty close to hitting it.

"Not bad," I whispered into her ear. "Keep going."

It took her _twelve _minutes, not ten, to land a kill shot, but that didn't lessen my pride in her or in her new devotion to being the best she can be.

"A clean shot straight through his heart. Proud of you, Babe."

The smile she gave me put the fluorescent lighting to shame. "I'll let you in on what's not-so-secret anymore, Batman. The target isn't the only one who received a major hit upside the heart ... paper-guy got a bullet, while I was _waaay _luckier and got _you_."


End file.
